When It Comes to Decorating With Plants: Fake It Until You Make It

They bring the outdoors in, breathe oxygen into a space, and make any room come alive! Sometimes the best thing about a beautifully decorated room is the plant that's in it.

THE REFRESH subscribers know just how much I love to garden and for me, real plants tend to be my go-to. But I'm not against fake, because there is often a time and place for them.

Like this interior bathroom with no natural light: a real plant wouldn't last long, so a bright, cheery faux alternative is a good way to go.

Truth is, not everyone has a green thumb (or even wants one) and a dead crusty carcass in a pot looks a lot worse than a fake plant ever will.

So faux can be a definite GO, especially if life begins to change...

The Sheridan's are a fun millennial couple living in their first home together, and like most people their age, they prefer the real deal when it comes to plants.

Their house is full of them.

But Nick and Jen now have a baby on the way, so they are changing their tune in this department a little bit. As we decorate their home and garden, they asked that any new additions be super low-maintenance.

Happy to oblige!

We decided to use easy-to-care-for Boxwoods and Dwarf Alberta Spruce in the back yard planters instead of drought intolerant fussy flowers that would need deadheading and constant watering.

Inside their new master bathroom-- they wanted a "spa-like feel" so when we styled their new shelves, we not only added apothecary jars, rolled face towels, and styling pieces-- we used a cascading faux plant.

Such a convincing fake, right?

And now they will have plenty of time to focus all their care on Baby Sheridan (coming later this summer!).

A super stylish trendsetter with edge, Heather isn't afraid of color, taking design chances-- or using faux plants.

She is a busy boy mom of two with a big, time consuming job that involves frequent travel around the world. Heather also needs to be on zoom calls at all hours of the day, even in the middle of the night (Asian and European time zones).

So, to take care of plants on top of everything she does on the daily?

Nah...

Instead, Heather picks perfect pretend plants and uses those around the house to accent her decor.

No watering, no pruning, no dying... it totally works!

Don't you LOVE her style? Read more about Heather's colorful REFRESH.

Imagine this: a massive outdoor patio... a popular restaurant... a busy city center... al fresco dining, and not a real plant to be found.

Crazy?

It happened.

Zach Shuman is a Corporate Chef and Partner at the Bean Restaurant Group.

He knows exactly what he's doing-- and not just in the kitchen, or when it comes to running restaurants.

Zach made a daring outdoor design request that might seem slightly terrifying at first, but it actually makes a whole lot of sense.

Last year the scorching hot summer sun decimated Union Kitchen's patio flowers, leaving diners to enjoy their Truffle Fries, Crispy Calamari and Pan-seared Tuna Tacos next to the charred skeletal remains of flowers that once were.

This year, Zach had different ideas for the large al fresco dining space, and this was his ask:

Hmmm....

Though I completely got the practicality of his request, my mind started channeling faded, unnaturally colored bouquets of silken/plastic flowers shoved mercilessly into undeserving, ill-fitting outdoor planters.

Not only was there the potential ugly factor to avoid, but I knew this would make the patio project's price tag skyrocket (good fakes aren't cheap) and I had to stay on budget.

But I was up for the challenge ;)

So, THE REFRESH team loaded up our pickup truck in our grubby garden gear, bringing with us the best fakes we could find, and we headed to Union Kitchen to make it happen.

In the dark, and in the rain.

But the live music was awesome, and all we needed to stay inspired.

We had a blast!

Union Kitchen's patio is officially up and running and it was used for the first time on Mother's Day.

We even saw people taking selfies in front of the decor. HUGE COMPLIMENT!

Here are some takeaways:

Which way do you lean? Is fake still a "hard no" for you?

Let's talk about your own experiences, plant preferences, good finds, and "how faux you're willing to go" in the comments below...

See you there!

XX Kerri-Lee